This is a stupid, meandering post that doesn’t mean anything. Read at your own peril.
My local liquor store often has free samples of products, and this past weekend I tried an egg nog. It was very good, so I got a bottle. (I love egg nog.)
When I got home I wondered about taking it to various events. (As much as I love egg nog, I’m not going to drink a bottle of it on my own. I exercise, but not that much!)
Egg nog is closely associated with Christmas. It’s not something you drink on the 4th of July, or at Easter. Or even on a cold and snowy Thanksgiving. So that got me thinking about when it’s appropriate to bring a bottle of egg nog to an event, and the answer seems to be “during the Christmas season.”
But when is that? According to Home Depot, I think it starts right after Halloween. And there’s a local radio station that plays 24/7 Christmas music starting on the day after Thanksgiving. Still, I don’t think I’d bring a bottle of egg nog to a party on Nov. 28th.
Most Crowhill readers will know that the church defines the Christmas season as the time from Christmas to Epiphany. The “12 days of Christmas” are Dec. 25 to Jan. 5. But by Dec. 26, the radio is back to secular music and most everyone is done with Christmas.
In the secular world, Christmas is all about parties, gifts, and decorations. Once they’re over, you’re done. But egg nog is appropriate on New Years, and even into January.
So I think there’s an egg nog season. It starts with the first Christmas party, and it probably ends well before Valentine’s Day.
I’d say the egg nog corresponds with the Christmas tree. As soon as that is present, it is appropriate to drink egg nogm in its present, provided that the occasion is duly festive (or perhaps intimate), and to continue in this vein till the Christmas tree is taken down. In a lot of European countries the Epiphany is a holiday. You should take the tree down right after that.
That’s not a bad rule. If there’s a tree, drink egg nog.
This reminds me of the perennial question in the US…”why can’t I wear white after Labor Day?” 🙂 My answer, if you purchased it, you can wear white whenever you like. Who cares what others think?
I’d have a similar response relative to egg nog. Just because it’s typically consumed during the Christmas season, doesn’t mean it has to be limited to that. Any time someone or group wants egg nog and it’s available for purchase, have at it. If it’s beyond the time its available in stores, make it. It’s appropriate anytime the consumer desires…the great convention of “they” doesn’t really need to be engaged.
To me it’s not a question of when I can drink it, as when it’s appropriate to serve it, bring it to a party, etc.
That’s my point, it’s appropriate anytime, as desired by the parties involved.
But Greg’s rule is a good one for judging when it would be well received as a gift or a contribution to a party. It’s not always convenient or tactful to canvass everybody about whether eggnog would be well-received at a party or as a gift, but “if there’s a tree up (or however you decided to define the season), it will likely be well-received and enjoyed, and if it’s a Fourth of July party, it’s more likely that people will look at you funny and put it in the cupboard” is a useful rule of thumb.
Indeed, using the holiday season as gauge can be good…did someone say it wasn’t? I was merely saying that, depending on those involved, it doesn’t have to be limited to the holiday season. In fact, it might be a refreshing change of pace, beyond the holiday season (if accepted as an option). IOWs, it’s holiday convention but it doesn’t have to be.
As well, it’s not necessarily inconvenient or tactless to canvass. It could be as simple as a “text”…no fuss, no muss. It’s done regularly for gatherings year around (e.g., picnics, lunches, pot lucks, etc.) without much effort or thought. In fact, most gatherings we host or invited to it’s a regular part of the process…a quick, polite inquiry as to what might be favorable.